Duty
by DarkeAngelle
Summary: It's a Turk's duty to do these sorts of things. To carry Shinra through disaster. You have to do your best sometimes, and sometimes you have to do more than that.
1. Discovery

"I'm here!" Reno announced as he closed the door behind him. He slipped the key into his pocket and began to look around at the well-decorated mansion, not very surprised that everything was a shade of either black or white, other than the occasional Shinra logo.

He didn't get to look around much, as a ferocious snarl distracted him.

Standing at the other side of the modernistic living room was a large black cat, standing perfectly still as it bared its sharp teeth. Reno swallowed thickly and didn't dare move. The beast was tensed, ready to pounce at a moment's notice.

"Dark Nation," came the exasperated sigh of Shinra's new president as he pushed his wheelchair into the room. He placed a hand on the beast's head and it immediately calmed, falling silent. "Hello Reno," he greeted, sounding tired.

Reno nodded. "Yo," he said nervously, his eyes still on Dark Nation. "So, uh, what do ya need me to do?" He had come here to take care of his boss, as the Turks were all taking turns at it. Yesterday, Elena had been the one to take care of him. And now it was Reno's turn to babysit his recently injured boss.

Rufus was stroking the black beast's head slowly, seeming not to care that the same pet had been ready to rip Reno to shreds just a moment ago. "I need dinner and a bath, and then I'll be heading to bed. Elena brought over some food yesterday and there's some left over. You won't need to cook."

Reno smiled, a little relived that he didn't have to cook. What he was worried about, however, was that he actually had to bathe the man. But, he could worry about that later. "Lead the way!"

Dropping his hand from Dark Nation's head, he spun around in his chair and rolled back the way he came, Reno following him. Dark Nation slowly followed, keeping her eyes on Reno's back. If he stepped out of line, Dark Nation would have him on the floor in no time.

The kitchen was just as monochrome as the living room, only more silver with all the appliances. Rufus opened the fridge and pulled out a wrapped up plate of leftover spaghetti, which Reno took from him. He popped it in the microwave and watched as Rufus pulled himself up to the table to wait.

The table was small and black, only one chair seated at it. Rufus began fussing with the bandage on his hand, but Reno frowned. He watched the timer on the microwave as a minute and a half drained by before he turned back to the table with one chair.

"You don't get much company, do ya?"

Rufus looked up, hands still tightening the bandage. "Why do you ask?"

The microwave beeped and Reno pulled out the spaghetti, unwrapping it and grabbing a fork after a bit of searching. He put the plate down in front of Rufus with the fork and gestured to the chair.

"One chair?"

Rufus gave a shrug and picked up his fork. "I put the other chair away so I could sit here."

"Two chairs?" he asked in the same tone, looking for a glass to give Rufus a cup of water. Elena had informed him that he needed to give Rufus his pills with some water, but he had no idea where any of that was.

Rufus spun his fork on his plate to get the pasta wrapped around it. "I don't entertain much."

Reno hummed, grinning a bit when he found a glass. He walked over to the sink and filled it with water, sitting it down on the table as Rufus took a bite of the warmed spaghetti.

"Where's your medicine?" Reno asked, not wanting to go on another hunt.

Rufus pointed with his fork, still chewing.

Reno followed the point and opened the indicated cupboard, letting out a low whistle when he opened it. "How much damn medicine to you need?"

"A lot," he muttered before taking another bite.

"Apparently…" Still being watched closely by Dark Nation, Reno pulled out pill bottle after pill bottle to search for what Elena ha told him, still quietly amazed at the collection of bottles. Two different kinds of pain pills, a bottle of antidepressants, a small box of chewable immune system stimulants, a bottle of drinkable liquid to help his leg muscles relax, and a stronger pain pill that Reno bet could tranquilize a small animal.

He sat down in the chair across from Rufus and began sorting out the pills as his boss ate. He was quiet, not sure of what to say. Once he had them all laid out, with the liquid medicine poured out into the measuring cap, he got up to put them away.

Rufus kept eating, not wanting to look at the pills. He hated himself for the sorry state he was in, but it wasn't like he could change the fact that he was paralyzed. He still remembered the Turk that had pulled him out of the rubble as the building was falling, although said Turk didn't know he remembered a thing about it. It was Rufus's little secret that he admired the red-haired man for having such bravery and dedication.

Reno leaned against the counter, looking at Dark Nation. "So, uh, is this your guard dog or something?"

Rufus smiled a little. "You could say that," he admitted after he swallowed the last bit of his spaghetti. He pushed the plate away and grabbed up the pills. "I've had her since I was a child."

"Huh… She doesn't like strangers, does she?"

Rufus tipped his head back and swallowed the first dose of pain pills before answering. "She's getting used to it slowly. She knows to trust my employees after a bit. She took a particular liking to Rude."

Reno looked up, a little surprised. "Seriously?"

Rufus nodded, stomaching down the liquid medicine and shuddering a bit at the sour taste. He grabbed up the other pain pills, planning on leaving the strongest ones for later. "He came this morning to help me get to work. Dark Nation didn't growl at him once."

Reno nodded a bit, turning back to the beast that wasn't taking her eyes off of him. "I always thought Rude was an animal guy."

Rufus said nothing, finishing up his pills and his water. He pushed himself away from the table and started rolling back for the living room. "I'd like to take my bath now. I can wash myself, but I'll need a bit of… assistance." He absolutely refused to say the word "help". He didn't need help. He wasn't incapable. He just needed a little assistance in some things. In… everything, really.

Reno nodded and followed him, really not liking the fact that Dark Nation stalked after him. "Got it, Boss." At least he didn't have to give the guy a sponge bath.

Rufus stopped at the bottom of a staircase, looking expectantly to Reno. "I can't get my chair up the stairs, so you'll have to carry me. If Elena could manage, I know you can."

He nodded. "Yeah, I can." He stepped forward and waited as Rufus tried to position himself, wincing a bit at the pain in his back.

When he stopped moving, Reno stepped a bit closer and thought for a moment on how he was even supposed to carry him. So, scooping him up much like the last time he had carried his boss, he placed one arm under his knees and the other on his back, heaving him up bridal style. Rufus winced a bit at the movement and held onto Reno's neck, a bit ashamed of himself. He couldn't even get up a damn flight of stairs...

"The bathroom is the first door on the right," he directed, refusing to look at the man carrying him.

"I see it," Reno informed, stepping into the open room. He flicked on the light after he gingerly set Rufus on the edge of the tub, not really surprised when he found that the bathroom was huge.

The bath tub was more like a small pool with jets on the sides. There was a bit more color in here than in the rest of the house, but not much. Just accents here and there of blue. Blue bath rugs and blue trim near the ceiling.

As Reno admired the bathroom, Rufus had begun to unbutton his shirt, having already shrugged off his suit coat. He could undress his upper half just fine, but it was the lower half he had trouble with. The half that his workers wouldn't like to undress.

Reno moved forward to take care of the clothes as Rufus removed them, setting them on the pale granite counter that held the silver sink. As Rufus began to take off the bandages on his neck and his chest, Reno came to a realization.

He had never seen Rufus naked. Not even close to it. He hadn't even seen the man without his shoes. The closest thing to naked he had ever seen was when Rufus went into the ambulance after the explosion, the back of his shirt ripped open from where a metal bar had pierced into him, rendering him paralyzed.

Reno didn't really know why that was such a big deal. It just seemed like one to him. And, when the bandages came off, he couldn't help but stare. His once flawless pale skin was now marred with burn marks and scars from where debris had cut him. He noticed Reno's staring and glared lightly.

"Don't act so surprised," he said softly, his tone a tad icy.

Reno swallowed. "Sorry… I just… I didn't realize how badly you were hurt."

"I'm fucking paralyzed, Reno," he nearly snarled. "You thought I was wearing the other bandages for fun?"

Reno shook his head. "I'm sorry."

He sighed heavily. He was angry at himself for how badly he had been hurt, but he knew better than to take it out on Reno. If it wasn't for the man standing before him, he wouldn't even be alive. "Forget it. Help me get the rest of my clothes off."

Reno, for some reason, forgot how to breathe for a moment. "Sure," he mumbled, coming closer.

He decided to start with the easiest and least embarrassing thing first, taking off his shoes and socks. When he straightened up to get Rufus's pants off, he noticed that he was already trying to get them himself, looking extremely frustrated when he couldn't even push them down. Reno frowned at the sight. He didn't like seeing his boss like this. So helpless… He couldn't even change his clothes if he wanted.

"Here," Reno mumbled, pushing Rufus's hands out of the way.

He reminded himself to breathe and fought off a blush as he pulled off the pants, one hand on the clothing with his other hand on Rufus's shoulder to keep him steady. He put them on the counter with the other clothing before turning back to finish. Just one thing left… Chewing the inside of his cheek to keep himself from blushing, he slipped his fingers under the band of Rufus's briefs, taking them off quickly to avoid any hesitance. He put them on the counter as well and began to run the bath water, making sure it was warm and stealing a glance at Rufus's back.

There was a large wound that ran along his lower spine, right where that metal beam had stabbed him. It was still raw and a bit bloody, held together with too many stitches to count. Reno swallowed thickly at the memory. He had to rip that pole out… That was the one and only time he had ever seen Rufus cry.

After the water began to rise a bit, Reno stepped back to help Rufus in. The both of them were silent as Reno picked him up and placed him into the water. Rufus's limp legs stretched out before him, his feet touching the opposite side of the tub. He reached over and turned the jets on for himself now that the water was filled enough and looked up at Reno.

"I'll call for you when I finish."

Reno nodded a bit. "Okay… Do you need any help washing up?"

"No." He picked up a bar of soap and a wash cloth. "I shouldn't take too long." He leaned forward a bit to look past Reno to Dark Nation, who was sitting in the doorway and watching with a low growl in her throat. "I'll keep her around me."

Reno nodded a little more as Rufus whistled softly. Dark Nation trotted in and Reno slipped out, closing the door to leave a small crack so he could hear when Rufus finished. He leaned against the wall of the hall next to the bathroom door, exhaling heavily.

Good Gaia, what had he gotten himself into?

Wanting to distract himself, he decided to do a bit of snooping. Without Dark Nation to follow him around like a growling shadow, he figured he could have a nice little look around this colorless place.

He stayed on the second floor so he could hear Rufus, but he walked down the hall a bit to the next door. It was wide open, so he took that as an open invitation. He walked in and turned on the light, a little surprised when he was faced with Rufus's room.

The room was bland and boring, clean to a fault. He idly wondered if Rude had been the one to clean it this morning, as Rufus didn't seem to be in the right mobility to do it. The walls were plain and white, a few pictures hanging up. There was a picture of the Shinra building when it was first built, with only one reactor. There was a picture of Rufus's father with a younger Rufus, the professional portrait of that same old man that had been taken off of the Shinra property at his death, and a picture of the Shinra logo. There was a plain oak desk and a matching oak dresser, the only two things in the room other than the low queen bed in the corner. The desk only had one thing on it, which Reno picked up and looked over with a painful twinge in his heart.

It was a newspaper clip from the front page with a picture of the ruins of the Shinra building, the bolded title blaring: **The End Of Shinra?** Underneath was a subtitle that made Reno get a bit angry. _Public hopes so._

He knew that a lot of people didn't like Shinra. But, without electricity, those people would only want it back. He knew that, when he dragged Rufus out of the rubble, the public didn't really want to save him. But, thanks to the furious Turks, Rufus was patched up in no time. Paralyzed, but alive. That alive part was all that Reno cared about, honestly.

He sat on the edge of the bed on the white sheets, looking down at a small bedside table. Curious, he opened the top drawer and found a smirk on his face. "Paralyzed from the waist down and the bastard's having sex," he murmured to himself, looking at the folded strip of condoms placed neatly next to a bottle of lube. Curious, he picked up something that rested at the bottom of the drawer, face-down and stuck to the wood. It took a few tries and some swearing before Reno got it out, flipping it over and feeling like he was about to scream at what he saw.

It was a picture of Reno, smirking at his first day of work as a Turk, short hair and all. He remembered having that picture taken, remembering that it had originally been taken by Rude when they became partners. Reno just wanted to boast about his new job, so he demanded that Rude take a picture.

So how had Rufus gotten it…?

The sound of a loud thud broke Reno out of his daze and he stuffed the picture back. He got up and ran into the bathroom, Dark Nation spinning to snarl at him.

"Fuck off," he snarled back at the animal, going to Rufus's side. "What the hell are you doing?"

The answer to that was obvious. Rufus had tried to get out of the tub on his own, only causing him to fall on his side on the floor. His teeth ground together in pain at his position, one of his legs stuck under the faucet of the tub.

Reno sighed and helped him up carefully, getting his legs to settle and putting him on the edge of the tub again. "Don't do that. You know you can't move on your own."

"I can damn well try," he snarled, glaring at his legs to silently curse them for not moving.

Reno sighed again and got a couple towels from under the sink, putting one around Rufus's shoulders to catch the water dripping from his washed hair and placing another across his lap. "Wait here and don't move. I'll get you some pajamas." He walked out, ignoring the still-growling Dark Nation.

He went back to Rufus's room and rifled around in his dresser to find a clean pair of underwear, some sweatpants, and a plain white shirt. At this point, Reno was wondering if his boss was colorblind. Even his clothes were monochrome.

He came back to find Rufus petting Dark Nation. When he came closer with the shirt, Rufus seemed to notice his presence and wiped at his eyes. Reno paused, blinking a bit as he frowned.

"Were you crying?" he asked quietly.

"No," he lied sharply, not looking up. "There's… bandages under the sink," he mumbled softly, reaching up and beginning to untie what was around his head.

Reno put the clean clothes on the toilet after putting the lid down, looking under the sink and grabbing a roll of bandages. When he turned back to Rufus, he was staring again.

There was a scar running up through his hair, but it wasn't too big. It was held together by stitches, much like his sliced eyelid. His eye was sewn shut to help heal the gash, his blonde eyebrow tainted with a bit of blood. He said nothing, only holding his hand out for the bandages.

Reno handed them over, watching as the blonde began to wrap his chest, his back, his neck, and his face again. Reno had the random urge to bring up the picture he had found in Rufus's drawer, but he didn't think now was the time. He was quiet as he watched, the only sound being Dark Nation's low growling. When he finished wrapping himself up, he gave the leftover bandages to Reno in exchange for his shirt. He pulled on the loose fabric and reached for his pants and underwear, but Reno beat him to it.

"I don't need you ending up on the floor again," he muttered, picking up the towel and trying not to stare. He started at the end of Rufus's legs, discovering that putting clothes on was a lot harder than taking them off. It was a lot of awkward moving on Reno's part, but he eventually got Rufus dressed in his pajamas. He offered a hand, which Rufus took.

"I'm ready for bed," he said softly, clearly feeling the effects of his medicine by now. He would fall asleep right there if he could.

Reno picked him up again, feeling his heart pound as Rufus leaned against his shoulder in his exhaustion. He carried him into his room, gently placing him on the bed. Holding Rufus's legs up with one hand, he pulled back the covers and tucked him in, but he didn't leave just yet.

"Are you about to fall asleep?"

Rufus sighed, looking at his ceiling. "Honestly, I wish I could. I haven't been sleeping much lately. You're more than welcome to leave, if you wish. I can take care of myself." He flinched a bit when Dark Nation jumped on the bed, sleeping on the other side of her master and nuzzling his hair. "I have Dark Nation to keep me company."

"Alright…" Reno put his hands in his pockets, not sure how to bring it up. "Well, I found something earlier."

Rufus rolled his head to look at Reno. "What?" he asked, confused. "Were you snooping?" His eyes narrowed as Reno's guilty face proved the accusation. "Reno," he scolded.

"Sorry," he said quickly. "I just wanted to know why there's a picture of me in your sex drawer."

Rufus suddenly turned beet red in horror at Reno's discovery. His mouth opened to say something, but all that came out was a bit of a squeaking noise before he shut his mouth and glared up at the ceiling. "That was nothing," he said tensely, closing his eyes and pulling the blankets up to his chin. "Goodnight, Reno."

"Right… G'night," he mumbled before leaving the room, shutting off the lights as he did.

* * *

><p>Reno couldn't sleep at all that night. He was laying in bed, staring up at his ceiling in the dark. He could hear the people that lived above him walking around and the sound of his mother's snoring through the thin wall, but he wasn't thinking of either of those things. Those weren't the reasons he was still awake.<p>

He was thinking about that picture.

He came to one conclusion, and one conclusion only. There was no other reason for that picture to be in a drawer with condoms and lube, along with the tissues on top of the table, other than something that made Reno embarrassed. His picture served as masturbation material.

Once he gave up on wondering why the hell Rufus liked him that way, he eventually gave himself the steamy mental imagery of Rufus lying in bed, picture in one hand and cock in the other. Reno closed his eyes a bit to keep that in his mind, having an accurate representation of what a naked Rufus looked like. And the sheer size of him…

With Reno hardly noticing what his body was doing, his lower lip was trapped between his teeth to muffle any sounds he might make as his hand slid down his bare chest and underneath his dark boxers. He had no idea why he was doing it, but he didn't think about it in fear of losing the mental image he had created. He began to stroke himself, his heart beating a bit faster and his breath hitching. He lifted his hips and pushed down his boxers to give himself more access, not opening his eyes.

After a few minutes, he finally opened his eyes and let go, using his hand to look for the glass of water he always kept by his bedside. He found it after a clumsy search, nearly knocking it over in the process, and dipped his fingers into it, making sure they were dripping a bit before slipping his hand back under the sheets to continue stroking himself. The grip on his lower lip got tighter as he closed his eyes at the feel, imagining Rufus sucking him off.

Blonde hairs tickling his thighs, blue eyes smoldering up at him… Hands dry from the weather holding him steady as his plump lips traveled up and down his shaft, taking him in all the way with a nonexistent gag reflex…

As the water dried, his brain switched to another scenario. He began to suck on his free fingers, imagining himself returning the favor. His brain switched gears again, leading the path down a more pleasurable situation. Reno, sprawled out shamelessly on Rufus's plain bed in his colorless house, panting and moaning as Rufus moved inside of him.

Wanting to pursue that feeling, he lowered his saliva-coated fingers down and under his hot body, shamelessly thrusting them into himself. He let a moan slip out, but didn't worry about it too much. His mother could sleep through an atomic bomb. He was safe if he let out a few moans now and again.

Reno didn't care that he was masturbating to the thought of being in a sexual situation with a man. He was comfortable with his sexuality, proud of being bisexual. He had been with men before, but nothing more than a one night stand at a gay bar here in the Loveless district. He got bullied, if you could put it that casually, of his sexuality around the slums, but he didn't care. So long as he loved himself, he was fine. And the fact of Rufus's new found interest didn't hurt…

He didn't know how long he kept it up, but his brain kept a firm hold on the fantasy it had. All he knew was that it was midnight when he started, and it was nearing half past. So maybe he did know how long he had been at it. He just didn't care.

No sooner than he wondered what it would feel like to have Rufus's cum inside of him, he ground his teeth and moaned long and hard as he came, arching up. He was glad he had kicked his sheets off by then, but he still had to do laundry with the mess he just made.

He took a few minutes to remove his hands and catch his breath, amazed and confused at what he had just done. Never, never ever, did he think he would be masturbating to Rufus Shinra. He had always thought the president was handsome, but he never imagined a sexual relationship…

He cleaned up the mess with some tissues from the bathroom, throwing them all out and staring at his messy bed. He put his boxers back on and climbed in to get some sleep, too tired to bother with the mess.

He had no idea what he was going to tell Rufus tomorrow.


	2. Babysitter

Tseng sighed, sitting in a chair that he had rolled over to Elena's desk. "Someone has to stay with the president… I went to pick him up this morning and he had managed to crawl all the way to his living room. I walked in and he was swearing like a sailor. Dark Nation nearly killed me when I tried to help him…"

Elena frowned, folding her hands in her lap. She looked in the general direction of Rufus's office, feeling immense sympathy for him. "He needs someone to spend nights with him… Why did he crawl downstairs?"

He shook his head. "He just had to use the bathroom. I only installed those handrails for him in the bathroom on the first floor, so he can't use the second floor bathroom without help. Rude and I are leaving work a bit early today to install some more, and maybe a chair lift so he can go up and down the stairs."

Elena sighed, shaking her head. "I feel so bad for him… But, even if you install all of that, someone should be living with him. Should we look into an at-home nurse?"

He also frowned. "He wouldn't like that… Neither would the nurse, I feel. One of us should do it."

She looked up. "Not you…" She had just moved in with Tseng, her boyfriend, and didn't want to have him leave.

"No, not me. I'm afraid I'm not welcomed enough by Dark Nation for that…" He looked at her. "You, on the other hand…"

She held up her hands. "I'm sorry, but I can't. You know how upset that got me. I cried all night after I got back!"

He sighed. "I know… I'll talk to Rude and Reno about it."

"Why not talk to Rufus about it? Let him choose."

Tseng stood up. "Good idea, I'll do that. I'll be back in a bit."

She nodded as he walked away.

Tseng let himself into the office, not sure if he should knock. Rufus had been sleeping in his office a lot lately due to the lack of sleep at home, but he absolutely refused to stay away from work. But, today, he wasn't sleeping. He was looking at something on his laptop, closing it when Tseng walked in. He didn't want him to see that he was looking for a new wheelchair.

"I'm sorry for not knocking," Tseng said softly, bowing before settling into the chair on the other side of Rufus's desk.

He leaned back into his chair, wincing a bit. He began searching his drawers for pain pills, not looking at Tseng. "It's fine. What did you need?"

"After what happened last night and this morning, I have to assign someone to live with you. At least for a little while, until you get used to taking care of yourself. Rude and myself will be installing more railings on the second floor for you so you won't have to go downstairs for a bathroom."

Rufus had been scowling since Tseng brought up the morning, finding a bottle of weak pain pills. He unscrewed the lid and pulled a small red pill out, swallowing it with his coffee before he spoke. "I can handle myself. I won't be so careless again."

"Sir, I know you don't think you need it, but you do. Like I said, it won't be forever."

He sighed. "Very well… Who is it then?"

Tseng fidgeted in his chair, sitting up a bit straighter. "Actually, Sir, I thought you could choose. It should be one of us Turks, as we dedicate-"

"Reno."

Tseng blinked, choking off of what he was going to say. "S-sir?"

He looked down, putting the pills back and taking more time than necessary to do so, just to avoid Tseng's eyes. "I would like Reno to do it."

Tseng was still surprised. Why would Rufus pick Reno over him? "Sir, Reno's late to work every day… He should have been fired a long time ago. Why would you trust him for that?"

Rufus looked up, glaring at Tseng's question. "You know very well why. He saved my life."

Tseng fell silent, ashamed at himself. He had made his priority getting Elena out of that explosion. He didn't even think about getting the president out.

"I wish to go home when you and Rude leave. Tell Reno to come over when his shift is over and he straightens out what he needs to." He knew that Reno lived with his mother, and he hoped that the woman didn't rely on him too much. Honestly, he really wanted Reno to be the one to stay with him. He got too much sympathy from Elena, Tseng was too uptight, and Rude was too… quiet. Reno could be entertaining, for a lack of a better word. He hadn't forgotten what Reno had found yesterday, but he was certain that he could straighten out that situation with relative ease.

Tseng stood, bowing again. "Yes, Sir." He glanced at the clock. "We'll be leaving at our lunch break, in a couple hours." He turned back to Rufus. "Would you like me to send Reno in?"

"No. Just have him stop by later." He really didn't want to face Reno here. He would rather do it at home in privacy. Both that and the fact that he had no idea what to say to him.

He bowed one more time. "Yes, Sir. I'll come back in a bit." He turned and walked out of the office, surprised that Elena was waiting just outside.

"Who did he pick?" she asked, her voice anxious. "Did he pick you?" She had to admit, the odds were in Tseng's favor. Why not have the Director take care of the President? It made sense.

He shook his head. "No. He chose Reno." He walked away, looking for Reno.

"Reno?" Elena nearly shouted, trotting after him. "Why did he pick Reno?"

Tseng sighed. "You know just as well as I do that Reno was the one that saved him from the explosion. I was just surprised enough that he remembered, let alone that he picked him for this…"

Reno looked up, busy trying to jam a wrinkly dollar bill into a coffee vending machine. "Who did what?"

Tseng stopped and turned to him, Elena by his side. "You'll be living with the president for a while."

Reno blinked, ignoring the dollar bill that was spat back out at him. "Wait, what?"

Tseng sighed, used to Reno not understanding. Sometimes, he felt like he was talking to a damn kid. "The president can't take care of himself when we aren't there. Until Rude and I finish making his home handicap-accessible, he's going to need someone living with him to make sure he doesn't hurt himself. He says he wants you to do it."

He pulled his dollar out, stuffing it back in his pocket. "Uh… Can I refuse?" He didn't want to go for two reasons. For one, he didn't want to leave his mother for who knows how long. The other reason was more obvious. He had masturbated to that same man last night!

Tseng shook his head. "No, Reno. Rufus requested you."

He scowled, leaning against the vending machine. "Damn…"

"You'll be getting a raise, if that helps."

Reno's face lit up. Tseng had his attention now. The hook was in to draw Reno to his new job, and they both knew it. "Raise? By how much?"

Tseng thought for a moment. He couldn't give Reno that high of a raise because he was only the director, not the president. "Instead of the eleven gil per hour you're getting, I can raise it to thirteen. The president can raise it more than that, if he wants."

Reno's jaw nearly hit the floor. "I'll do it!"

He smiled. "Good. After your shift is up, go over to Rufus's house. Obviously, take a bit to pack your things and get yourself settled. You live with your mother, correct?"

He nodded. "Yeah, but she'll be fine. She takes care of herself when I go on long missions." His mother was a tough woman. She took care of him rather than vice-versa. That fact triggered a little voice in the back of Reno's head, telling him that if he couldn't even take care of himself, how could he take care of a paralyzed man?

Tseng nodded. "Good. You'll be working with Elena when you come back from lunch. Rude and I are going to the president's office to install more handrails for him and see what else we can get."

Elena spoke up. "Should we do anything?"

Tseng thought for a moment. "The president is coming with myself and Rude, so you'll be here on your own. Why don't you clean out his office for him?"

Elena smiled and nodded, ignoring Reno's wince.

Without saying goodbye, Tseng walked away. Elena stayed behind, frowning a bit at her coworker. Something seemed off today, but she wasn't sure what. Reno never drank coffee, so why had he been trying to get one? And why did he look so paranoid? He kept glancing over to Rufus's office, and Elena couldn't figure out why.

"What's wrong?"

Reno looked at her, shrugging a bit as he started acting more casual than he had been. "Nothin', Laney."

She crossed her arms over her chest, not pleased. "Something's obviously bothering you. You keep looking at the president's office like he's about to come out with a gun pointed at your head."

He forced a laugh. "Right," he said, rolling his eyes and striding away, leaving Elena suspiciously glaring after him.

* * *

><p>Rufus sat back, watching as Rude and Tseng installed handrails in his upstairs bathroom so he could use the toilet on his own. Dark Nation had her front paws in her master's lap with her head resting on them as Rufus idly stroked her dark fur, her eyes closed and a soft purr coming from her throat instead of a growl. She had learned to trust Tseng enough by now. After all, he was with Rude. And Dark Nation had quite the soft spot for the bald Turk.<p>

Rufus was only half paying attention to the remodeling that was being done to his bathroom. He hadn't really even been paying attention when Rude carried him up here to watch, wheelchair and all. He had been thinking of the decision he had made hours ago at work. Why had he picked Reno?

The answer to that was obvious enough. He trusted Reno more than any of the other Turks, although that trust hadn't completely formed until after the incident. He was notorious for being late for work and, as Tseng had told him earlier, it was a wonder that he hadn't been fired on several occasions. He wasn't very professional around the office, but when he was on the field, he was all business. Maybe a bit too much. He was extremely passionate about his work, and Rufus knew that. It made him the perfect applicant to be Rufus's live-in caretaker.

But, as for his snooping…

He really hoped that Reno had just forgotten about finding that. Usually, that drawer was locked. But, after a drunken night of staring at that photo and relieving some of his aching body's needs, he had forgotten to lock it up again. He had taken the photo from his office when the explosion first rocked, knowing he could only save a few things. He had grabbed that picture of Reno and his wallet, and that was all he managed before the ceiling collapsed on him with that metal post that rendered him paralyzed.

Remembering that day was like watching a video in his head that was stuck on repeat. He didn't know how long he had been trapped under that rubble, but he swore he must have been dead when he heard Reno fighting his way over to him… He had been unconscious for most of his rescue, but he couldn't help but wonder.

* * *

><p>"Boss! Boss, you in here?" Reno shouted over the noise of flames, kicking and climbing his way through the collapsed office. "Boss!" He coughed a bit from the smoke that was rising up from a lower floor, finally seeing one of Rufus's legs sticking out from under the rubble. He ran forward at the sight, not giving a damn that the floor was about to fall out from under him.<p>

He braced his shoulder over a beam that was under the drywall that buried Rufus Shinra, screaming a bit in pain as he shoved it off. He ran to his boss's side, grabbing his arm to drape around his shoulder and he stood up. Rufus crumbled beside him, crying out in pain.

"Boss," he breathed, suddenly seeming to notice the bloody beam that was embedded in Rufus's lower back. "Shit…" He wrapped one arm around Rufus's waist and pulled him up, noticing that his head and shoulder were both bleeding.

Rufus groaned, only half conscious. "My… back…"

"I know, I know," he mumbled. "Hold on…" Keeping one arm around Rufus's waist. He lowered his boss to sit on the floor. He gripped the pole and bit his lip, not liking the pained groan he got from the contact.

"Just pull the damn thing out," he muttered, gritting his teeth and grabbing hold of another fallen beam in front of him.

Reno said nothing, gripping the beam with his tired hands and pulling, trying to be as fast as possible. The bloody beam hit the ground as Rufus screamed, falling forward to his hands as he sobbed.

"C'mon, Boss…" He pulled off his black jacket and used it as a crude bandage for Rufus's back to try to staunch the bleeding. He picked him up bridal style, the sobbing man rapidly losing consciousness. "Stay with me," he demanded, running out of the room and heading for the stairway.

The stairwell was eerie as Reno began running down it, having saved Rufus on the sixty-eighth floor. The stairs were clear from any sort of destruction or smoke, but they could still hear the noises from the rest of the building. The fire alarms were shrieking and echoing in the cement stairwell, nearly drowning out the sound of the world collapsing around them.

Reno had no idea where he was getting his energy from. He passed the sign for the fiftieth floor, feeling like he was about to die. He could barely breathe anymore and his legs had nearly completely lost feeling. He didn't stop though. He couldn't. He wasn't going to die here, and neither was Rufus.

He suddenly skipped to a halt at floor thirty-two, seeing that the rest of the way had just caught fire after debris had fallen in. Swearing loudly, he kicked open a door and ran into the hall, hurrying due to the smoke. He ran to a window and kicked out the glass, noticing that Rufus was now unconscious. He swore again and looked down, ignoring the fire raging in the room. He gently placed his boss on the ground and grabbed up a burning piece of wood, throwing it down at the bald little speck that he identified as Rude. He missed horribly, hitting an ambulance, but at least someone looked up.

He began waving his hands like mad, waiting for someone to spot them. They finally did and began to set up a place for them to jump, but Reno had a feeling that jumping from the thirty-second floor could only end badly. He turned back to the burning room, the heat and smoke increasing rapidly by the minute. Rufus was still lying on the floor, unconscious and bleeding horribly. His right eye was shut and covered in blood, the blood dying some of his blonde hair pink. His suit was covered in blood stains, especially on his back. Reno's makeshift bandage was failing, a small pool of blood forming.

"Shit," he muttered again. He looked outside to see that they made some sort of cushion to catch them. He turned to Rufus, knowing that he had to go first. He picked him up bridal style and went over to the window at the same moment Rude grabbed a megaphone and started yelling. Reno could barely hear him over the sound of the collapsing building.

"It's a long fall! Just drop Rufus and pray!"

Reno laughed bitterly and looked at the bloody man he was holding. "Here's to you, Boss," he said softly, nuzzling his cheek affectionately before he took a deep breath and dropped him.

The second he let go, he regretted it. There was no way in hell that Rufus would survive that fall. Thirty-two stories down to what looked like a sheet and an inflatable mattress. The president was as good as dead. Shinra was over. With no one to lead it, the company would shut down. Reno would be unemployed, forcing himself and his mother back to the streets to fight for their food. Maybe Reno would start working the corners to make some extra money. He had good training, so maybe he could even work as a bodyguard for someone famous. He had to start polishing up his resume, and fast. Shinra was gone.

When all of those thoughts finished racing through his head, Rufus hit the cushion.

Reno leaned further out the window in shock, watching as medics reluctantly came forward. Rude used the megaphone to yell up at Reno to jump, but the Turk slowly shook his head. The bloodstain on the white cushion wasn't encouraging him to jump at all. He shook his head and backed up, going back inside. He turned around to try the stairs again, but his exit was blocked by fire. He ran to find another exit, but there wasn't one open. He could still hear Rude screaming up at him, but it was eventually drowned out as the ceiling began to fall on him.

He dove out of the way, diving through a wall of flames to get back out into the hall. He patted out spots on his suit that had caught fire as he got to his feet, running for the stairwell as he heard the noise of the building falling behind him. He threw open the door to the stairs and started running down, coughing on thick fumes of smoke. He just had to get out…

On the ground, Rufus had woken up thanks to the medical crew. He was being loaded into the back of an ambulance, tears running down his face at the immense pain. It felt as if his spine was slowly being pulled out and his legs were dangling in acid. He could hear the thunderous sounds of the Shinra building falling, along with people screaming and shouting in pain and demands of what was wrong. The ambulance began to move and he groaned as he felt the doctors begin to stitch up his face after cleaning the wound. He felt a mask strapped over his face, lulling him back to sleep, but there was one loud thought that crossed his mind before he passed out again.

Where was Reno?

Reno was still in the stairway. He had collapsed around the twenty-fifth floor, however, coughing too violently on the smoke to keep going. He refused to try anymore. This was it for him. A fitting death, to die in the place he had fought his whole life to work in. After dropping his boss to his death, why not die in a stairwell? His mother could live on her own… He was worried about his coworkers more, of course. And, even more than them, Rufus Shinra. He even began to cry, knowing he had been the one to drop him. To kill him.

He passed out from the smoke, not noticing when Elena and Tseng stumbled past and hauled him up to help him out.

* * *

><p>"Fucking key," Reno snarled, so nervous that he couldn't even get the key into the lock on Rufus Shinra's front door. He kept trying, but he kept shaking. He had a large duffel bag over one arm that held several changes of clothes and anything else he thought he would need, and a plate of cookies that his mother had made in his free hand.<p>

The door suddenly opened, Rude on the other side. "Reno, it was unlocked…"

He blinked. "Oh…"

Rude took the plate of cookies as Reno put the key in his pocket. He walked in to see Dark Nation sitting just behind Rude, suddenly growling when Reno stepped in. Rude just bumped her head a bit and she stopped, but her ears were still flat to her head.

"Tseng is showing the president the renovations. We'll be leaving soon. There's a guest bedroom that you can use that's upstairs for you to use."

Reno nodded a bit at Rude's three off-topic statements and followed him, staying as far away from Dark Nation as possible as she followed him with her ears down. They went upstairs and past the bathroom, where Tseng was demonstrating how to use the bars on the tub. For Rufus's sake, they all hoped he had good upper body strength.

"In here," Rude said simply, opening a door at the end of the hall. "I'll go put the cookies in the kitchen." He walked out, leaving Reno to settle in himself.

"Thanks," Reno mumbled, walking in and turning on the light. The room was large, to Reno's surprise. Taking away from that surprise was the fact that the large room was completely black and white. There wasn't even any gray.

He sighed and placed his bag on the small bed, figuring he could look around later. He heard Rufus downstairs now, saying goodbye to Tseng and Rude. Taking the opportunity, Reno hurried to the man's room and went for the drawer his picture was in, just to see if it was still there.

He pulled it open and looked, but the picture was gone. He frowned and went over to a trashcan that held no trash out of the ordinary, just food wrappers, papers, or old bandages, and saw the picture inside. It was chopped into pieces, but Reno knew it was the picture of him. He was staring at his own eye, after all.

"Reno?"

He left the room and went down the stairs, following Rufus's voice. "Yes, Sir?"

"You got lucky again. Tseng brought me dinner. You'll just have to reheat it." He began to roll himself for the kitchen, Dark Nation trotting loyally behind him.

Reno smiled and followed. "I brought you something too. When I told Ma I was staying here for a while, she baked some cookies for ya."

Rufus had found the cookies by the time Reno stopped talking, and he had pulled the plate onto his lap. He looked to Reno, confused. "Why would she make me cookies?"

Reno leaned against the counter, smiling. "She's a nice lady. Besides, she's all upset that you're this hurt. She threatened to come live with you in my place."

He hummed thoughtfully and put the plate of chocolate chip cookies back on the counter. "I'll eat some later. I'm not hungry now."

Reno glanced at the clock. "It's almost seven, Sir. You aren't hungry at all?"

"No." He rolled himself back from the counter and sighed, closing his eyes as his hands gripped the arm rests of his wheelchair. He hurt so bad today, but he had already taken all the pills he could. He couldn't take any more until tomorrow morning. His back was throbbing, his arms were tired and heavy from testing out everything Tseng had installed multiple times, and he had a dull headache.

Reno seemed to notice his discomfort. "Is there anything you want me to do, Sir?"

He sighed, his teeth clenched in pain. There were a lot of things he wished Reno could do. For example, he would really like his legs back… "I'd like a bath." He opened his eyes to look at Reno. "I only need help getting up the stairs and undressing. I can do the rest myself."

Reno wasn't about to say that that was what he had done yesterday. "Alright." He walked behind Rufus and began to push him for the stairs, not seeing the look of immense relief on Rufus's face at the gesture. He didn't know Rufus was so tired.

He stopped the chair at the base of the stairs and made to pick him up, but Rufus was too busy trying to shift his weight to make this easier.

"I'll need my chair. After you put me in the bathroom, carry up the chair and push it next to the tub."

"Got it." He picked Rufus up and made his way up the stairs, glad that he didn't weigh too much. Of course, that weight had been lost in his state of sickness. He didn't have much of an appetite anymore. Depression and medication tended to have that effect.

Reno placed him on the edge of the bathtub and left to get the chair. While he was gone, Rufus had managed to get his top half undressed and managed to get his pants down to his ankles. Struggling, he eventually managed to get both his pants and his underwear off, breathing havily with the exertion when he finished. As Reno rolled the chair in, Rufus had managed to lower himself into the tub with the help of the steel bars Tseng had installed and was starting the water.

Reno smiled. "Looks like you're getting the hang of it, huh?"

Rufus looked over at him, but didn't say whatever he opened his mouth to say. He winced at the pain in his back, gritting his teeth.

Reno frowned. "Sir?"

"I'm fine," he said heavily, closing his eyes and blindly turning on the water. "I'll call for you when I need more help."

Reno nodded and slipped out, standing aside as Dark Nation came into the room.

As soon as he heard Reno turn on the TV downstairs, Rufus let himself cry. Dark Nation whined at the tears and leaned over, licking them off his face. The act only made him cry harder, as he couldn't find the strength in his arms to wipe his own eyes. He really couldn't do anything.

He hated this. He hated relying on others to take care of him. He was an independent person, and he always had been. He never needed to rely on anyone for anything. But now… Now, he couldn't even live in his own house by himself! He couldn't cook, he could barely bathe himself, he couldn't get into his bed, he couldn't get up and down the stairs, he couldn't take Dark Nation for walks like he used to, he couldn't even wipe his own tears away! He hated this feeling of pain and helplessness. He felt like some sort of child, incapable of wiping his own ass.

He knew he wouldn't have the strength to get out of the tub, and he knew he didn't even have the strength to wash himself now. He didn't want to call Reno though. He didn't want him to see his boss in such a state of helplessness and depression. Reno had enough on his plate than to care about how badly the president was doing. He probably didn't even care.

In Rufus's current state of mind, suicide was extremely tempting.


	3. Talk

Reno turned off the giant TV when he heard a weak call of his name, having been watching some sporting event that was happening in Nibelheim. He went upstairs to find Rufus laying in the tub, looking as if he was fast asleep. Dark Nation was lying down next to the tub, Rufus's weak arm laying on her as his fingers barely moved to pet her back.

"Sir?" Reno called warily, seeing that the water was close to overflowing. Rufus didn't have the strength to turn off the faucet.

Rufus said nothing, only closing his eyes. Reno turned off the water and began to drain it, putting a hand on Rufus's shoulder and shaking him just barely.

"Sir? Are you okay?" he asked urgently, not liking the way Rufus was so unresponsive.

"Bed," he mumbled, barely awake.

Reno nodded and Dark Nation got up, watching. She seemed to trust Reno a bit more, but she was still growling as she watched. Reno picked Rufus up and out of the bath tub, setting him down in his chair and going to get towels. He began drying the unresponsive Rufus Shinra, leaving one towel on his lap and the other in his hair. He pushed him for his room and began looking for bandages to rewrap the blonde's injuries.

"Just give me some pants," Rufus mumbled after his head was bandaged. "The bandages… make it hard to breathe," he mumbled, inferring to the bandages that wrapped around his stomach and his chest.

"Sir, you need to wrap the wounds. They'll get infected."

"Fuck that," he growled. "Just get me pants."

Reno sighed, not arguing his boss's stubbornness anymore. He put the bandages down on the bedside table. "I'll leave those there if you ever want to wrap it yourself." He grabbed a pair of sweatpants and looked at his boss curiously. "You don't want any underwear?"

"No. It's just more work." He didn't even care at this point. He just wanted to sleep to get the pain to stop. He had managed to stop crying around Reno and was glad that he didn't seem to suspect that the blonde had been sobbing in his bath tub.

"Alright." Reno dressed him and picked him up, careful of his wounds as he laid him down.

Despite Reno's extreme care, Rufus still groaned in pain. "It hurts so fuckin' bad," he whined, not wanting to lay on his back. "Put me on my stomach, please…" He couldn't even roll over on his own… This was pitiful.

Reno was quiet, doing as his boss asked. "Do you want a massage?" That was the only thing he could think of to offer. He felt helpless, seeing Rufus like this. "My ma has back pain a lot and, I know it's not the same cause and all, but massages usually help her out. It might help."

"Sure." He managed to use his arms as a pillow, turning his head so he could breathe. The position hurt his neck, but he was glad that his wound wasn't touching the bed. "Just be careful."

"I will." He moved closer to the bed so he could get a better grip, ignoring the fact that Dark Nation was watching him from the doorway, still growling. "Let me know if it hurts," he said softly, placing his hands on Rufus's shoulders and rubbing them.

Rufus's body seemed to tense and he rolled his head to bury his face in his arms. "Harder," came his muffled request.

Reno obeyed, digging his thumbs in and putting his weight into it. "Like that?"

Rufus groaned softly at the feel. "Yeah," he mumbled, already feeling better.

"Damn," Reno muttered, rubbing his shoulders. "No wonder you feel like shit. You're all knotted up." He took Rufus's silence as an okay to keep going, moving down his back a bit as the blonde seemed to relax from his touch. He was careful of not getting near his wound or his spine. He stayed around his shoulders and his sides, getting relaxed groans every so often.

As he massaged him, his brain began to get sidetracked. Rufus's skin was soft, something that Reno hadn't really expected. Of course, with all the soaking in bathtubs he had done since the incident, it was really no wonder that his skin was so hydrated. Aside from that, his eyes began to travel.

Rufus was thin, but not as thin as Reno was. His spine was visible as a line, sticking out just barely. His skin and his back were perfect and flawless until it came to the wound, which was looking a little better. At least it wasn't infected. But, past his wound was a bit of his lower back that gave way to his ass, covered by the white sweatpants. Even though the pants blocked his view, Reno had seen him naked and knew exactly what it looked like under there. Perfect, firm, round…

Shit, what was he thinking?

He shook his head, blushing a bit and thankful that Rufus was burying his face. He moved down his back a little more and heard Rufus gasp before letting out a moan when Reno found another knot and began working on it. That breathy moan didn't help Reno's currently perverted state of mind at all.

Rufus just kept moaning and groaning as Reno moved over to his spine, just above his wound. "Right there," he groaned, in a state of bliss. If he had known Reno was this good at massages, he would have requested one earlier. His hands were like magic, taking a majority of the pain away and leaving a tingling feeling in their wake. He loved Reno's hands on him, even though they were a little rough and calloused. "Nn… There," he moaned, burying his face even further down in his arms and arching his back into Reno's touch a bit. He had no idea the problems he was causing.

Reno inwardly swore at himself as he felt himself getting aroused by this. This wasn't sexual, but his brain and his nether regions seemed to think it was. When Rufus moaned as he moved to his spine, he had the oddest urge to slip his pants off and take him right there. Of course, he would probably lose his job over that. Still, the urge didn't care about that consequence.

"Mm… Reno, how're you so good at this?" he mumbled sleepily into his arms.

Reno smiled, switching out one of his hands for an elbow. At the increase of pressure, Rufus moaned again. "Practice," he said simply. It was true. He had given his mother so many massages, he had lost count years ago. While his mother was young, having given birth to Reno at the young age of sixteen, she still had her back problems. After all, she had given birth to seven children, beginning at the age of fourteen. Reno was the second eldest and the only one living anywhere near home now. As such, he was the one responsible for taking care of his mother. That included giving her massages when her weary body gave her pain.

Rufus soon fell asleep, being lulled to sleep when Reno swapped his elbow back to his hand. Reno eventually noticed and stopped massaging him, putting the sheets over him. Dark Nation had fallen asleep on the floor at the foot of the bed, finally trusting Reno enough to turn her back on him for a moment.

Reno smiled and started to leave, but he had to give in to one of his urges. He leaned down and pushed Rufus's hair away, seeing that he had rolled his head to the side again. A little nervous, Reno closed his eyes and leaned forward to peck a lingering kiss on Rufus's sleeping lips before he turned and walked out to his own room, turning the light off as he went.

He hadn't noticed that Rufus's eyes had opened at the contact.

* * *

><p>Reno had actually woken up early for once in his life, even before Rufus. He had taken a shower in the downstairs bathroom and gotten changed, wearing his Shinra uniform again. He went to the kitchen and found a note on the fridge from Rude, frowning a bit as he read it.<p>

_Take Dark Nation for walks once a day before work and twice a day on weekends. Her leash and collar are both in a closet in the living room, hanging on the inside of the door. The cleaning supplies are in there too. There's a note in the cupboard with pills for the president's dosing. Don't give him all the pills he asks for. There's a heating pad on the couch for his back. It seems to help. Wake him up around 7 to get him ready for work. I'll be by at 8:30 to pick him up for work. You can take Dark Nation for a walk then. You'll be excused if you're late because of that. I know Dark Nation doesn't like you, but give her a steak or some lunch meat and she'll love you._

_Good luck. _

_-Rude_

Reno sighed and put the note back on the fridge with a plain black magnet, knowing he wouldn't remember all that. He looked over at the microwave for the time and saw that it was almost time to wake up Rufus. He grabbed a cookie from the platter and ate it for his breakfast as he went upstairs, knocking on the open door of Rufus's room as he walked in.

"Mornin', Sir. Time to-"

Rufus was already awake, sitting in his chair and bandaging up his back with a bottle of antibacterial gel on his lap. He looked up when Reno came in, not quite finished with wrapping. "Reno, would you mind looking at my back? I can't see it, but I think it got infected."

Reno frowned and walked behind him. "It doesn't look infected to me," he concluded. "Does it hurt?"

"Of course it hurts. It always hurts," he muttered, finishing with his wrapping. Why didn't numbness from pain come from being paralyzed? It didn't make sense to him.

Reno helped him get on his shirt and his coat over his bandages and Rufus rolled himself to the bathroom. Dark Nation stayed perched on the bed as he disappeared. He paused in the doorway, turning to Reno.

"I'll be fine. Until I'm ready to go downstairs, feed Dark Nation and get her ready for her walk. Her food's under the sink in a bag." With that, he rolled off, not wanting to show Reno just how much pain he was in.

Reno nodded and looked back at Dark Nation, glaring at her. "You gonna be nice?"

Dark Nation jumped down and walked up to him, still growling as she rubbed against him and walked out.

He wasn't sure if that was a good or bad thing when she rubbed around his legs, but headed downstairs to feed Dark Nation as she led the way. He found the food relatively easily, as it was a large plastic bag with a piece of duct tape on it, labeling it "DN's Food". He pulled it out and Dark Nation immediately cheered up. She began bounding around, whining and barking loudly in excitement as she rubbed all around Reno's legs so much that she nearly knocked him down.

"Damn, guess I'm your friend now," he muttered, finding a large ceramic bowl on the floor that was painted by what looked like a child, a small hand print and a small paw print inside with names on them. Reno took a moment to read the named Rufus and Dark Nation, smiling before he dumped some food into the bowl. As Dark Nation began to eat, he put the bag back and ran a hand down her back. "You and Rufus have been together a lot, haven't you?"

He got the leash and collar while she continued to eat her dry food, dropping them on the couch to wait for her to finish. He went back into the kitchen and grabbed the instructions from the medicine cabinet, reading them over a couple times before he began sorting them all out to give them to the paralyzed man they belonged to. He took another cookie to eat, wondering if Rufus even wanted them. Reno imagined that he had to be hungry, as he went last night without dinner or even a cookie. He went back into the living room after he ate it, Dark Nation trotting after him and jumping on the couch, nudging her collar.

"At least you like taking walks," Reno observed, picking up her pink collar and idly wondering why such a ferocious looking beast had such an innocent flowered collar. He put it around her easily and managed to hook up her leash. Before he could take the leash to see how far she could go, Rufus called down to Reno from the bathroom.

Dark Nation hopped off the couch and ran upstairs to the bathroom, Reno going up slower than her. When Reno got there, Dark Nation was being shooed out of the room. She sadly walked out, dragging her leash behind her. Reno closed the door behind himself and smiled a little, glad that Rufus seemed to be fine. He had even added bubble bath to the water and the bubbles were a few inches high.

"I don't need help," Rufus said, gesturing to his nearby wheelchair. "I just want to talk to you."

Reno swallowed thickly and sat in the chair after pushing off the bandages and clothes, wondering why Rufus had gotten dressed and wrapped before his shower, but he was still nervous about what Rufus wanted to talk about. He knew that Rufus hadn't caught that kiss last night, right? And had he forgotten about the picture?

"First of all, I want to thank you for the massage last night. My back doesn't hurt as much today after that." He smiled a bit, truly meaning that.

Reno smiled back. "It's no problem."

He sighed. "Now that that's out of the way… There's a couple other things." He had been thinking about how to bring this up for an entire day now, and he had to spit it out now. "For starters, that picture you found the other day…"

Reno bit the inside of his cheek, holding back a blush. He was really hoping this wouldn't come up…

"I never want to speak of it again, and it would be best if we both pretended like it didn't happen. I'm sure you've made your assumptions, but don't tell anyone. This is between us, and I don't want to talk about it again. Also, I hope you saw that as a warning not to go snooping. Some things you find in here may just kill you."

Reno nodded, just barely. "Yes, Sir," he said softly, glad that Rufus wanted the same silence on the topic that he did.

Rufus's cheeks blushed a bit and he fixed his eyes on the bubbles in his bath. "However… About that kiss last night…"

Reno's eyes widened and his face heated up. "U-uh… I, um…"

Rufus was still looking away, just like Reno was by now. "Why did you do it?"

"It won't happen again," he said quickly, looking down at his feet. "I'm sorry, Sir. I shouldn't have taken advantage of you like I d-"

"Why did you do it, Reno?"

Reno swallowed and took a deep breath, trying to collect himself. How was he supposed to explain it if he didn't even know why he had done it? It was just a spontaneous urge, nothing more. "I… I'm not sure, Sir. It won't happen again."

There was a silence after Reno's words were spoken, stretching on for what seemed like forever. Rufus turned off the faucet and turned on the jets, sinking down a bit in the sudsy water. Neither one of them knew what to say, only making the silence more awkward. To help break it, they heard Dark Nation bark loudly and Rude announce that he had arrived. Reno stood and began to walk away in relief.

"Reno?"

He paused, standing just in front of the door. "Yes, Sir?" he asked, turning around.

Rufus finally looked at him, although it was from the corner of his good eye. "I didn't mind it that much. The kiss, I mean."

Reno blinked, his mouth opening slightly. "Sir, I-"

"Reno?" Rude called, wondering where the redhead was at.

"Coming!" Reno called, but he didn't move.

Rufus sighed. "Go on. It's nothing, Reno."

Reno nodded a bit and left the room, going down the stairs to see Rude petting Dark Nation in the doorway. "Yo, Partner. Sorry, Boss's takin' a bath." He walked over to Dark Nation, picking up her leash. "I'll take her out."

Rude frowned, sensing something was off. "You okay?"

Reno blinked, then smiled. "Yeah! Why, do I look weird or somethin'?"

He shook his head slowly. "No… Something seems different."

Reno stuck out his tongue. "I slept in a big fancy mansion. What'd ya expect?" He opened the door and walked out, being dragged by Dark Nation. "I'll see ya later!"

Rude sighed as Dark Nation began pulling Reno away, going upstairs to see Rufus trying to dress himself after his bath. He helped his boss, but he couldn't help but notice that Rufus looked like Reno. He seemed distracted and distant, his body helping Rude as he was dressed as if he was on autopilot. He took his pills, ate breakfast, and got out to the car in complete and utter silence. The only noise was the noise of the city that was a little ways away from the relatively independent mansion that Rufus Shinra called his own.

"Sir?" Rude finally spoke up as he got in the car. Rufus had been placed in the passenger seat and his wheelchair was folded and in the backseat, ready for work.

Rufus glanced over at him. "Yes?"

"You're being very quiet," he commented.

Rufus forced a teasing smile. "You're one to talk about being very quiet, Rude."

Rude's face remained impassive. "Reno was acting strange too. Did… something happen?"

Rufus let out a soft sigh before he spoke. "It's nothing to get involved in, Rude."

Rude fell back into his silence as he drove, not even turning on the radio to break the quiet in the black company car. He knew something was going on, as he was good at perceiving emotions. He was getting mixed signals, however. Rufus seemed to be depressed, as he often was since the accident, but there was something underneath it. It seemed to be confusion, which was also understandable. But, even below that, just barely able for Rude to see, was a small glint of happiness in his eyes.

Rude liked seeing the president happy, even if it was so small that he had nearly missed it. But it just confused him. What had happened to make the president happy? Surely Reno hadn't managed. On all of the occasions that the redhead had been lectured or yelled at in Rufus's office, it seemed like they were at each other's throats. But, since the explosion, things between them had seemed to become nicer. Maybe that was why he was happy. Maybe he felt safe with Reno.

Rude's ponderings ended there, as he had pulled up to the new Shinra building, which was just an old business complex they were renting until the new tower could be built properly. Tseng was waiting just outside, his hands on the handles of a new wheelchair. He stepped forward as Rude got out, helping Rufus into the chair.

"It's electric, Sir," Tseng said with a smile. "Why don't you give it a try?"

Rufus blinked, looking at the little joystick on the armrest. Curious, he nudged it a bit. The chair jerked forward and he was momentarily terrified of the speed.

Rude went inside, leaving Tseng to help Rufus.

"Don't push it so far. Try again, Sir."

Rufus pushed it again and moved forward a bit more slowly. He smiled, looking over at Tseng. "Thank you very much, Tseng."

He smiled back. "It's nothing, Sir. Your arms must be getting tired, so I placed an order the other day. They just delivered it this morning."

Rufus was moving for the doors. "Good job, Tseng."

Tseng smiled and followed after him.

Once they had rode the elevator up to Rufus's office, Rufus had Tseng alone. He sighed, looking up at the Wutai man from his chair. "I need you to do me a favor."

Tseng inclined his head a bit. "Yes, Sir?"

Rufus folded his arms on the edge of his desk, slouching slightly to ease the pain in his back. "Do me a favor." He pushed a file across the desk to him. "Have Reno get some work done. I don't want him messing around."

Tseng picked up the file and scrunched his eyebrows together as he flipped through. "But, Sir, this file… It's already been completed."

He sighed. "Just… keep him busy."

Tseng bowed, although he was a bit confused. "Do you mind me asking why, Sir?"

"I need the day to myself. You may come and go as you please, but… I wish to be left to my thoughts."

The director frowned. "Sir… Is something bothering you?"

"No," he said firmly. He opened his laptop and turned it on, just for something to do. "Get to work, Tseng."

Tseng nodded. "Yes, Sir." He bowed and walked out, reluctantly leaving Rufus alone.

Rufus sighed the second the door shut and he leaned back into his chair, closing his eyes and putting his hands in his hair. There was no way he could face Reno after that. He had to send Reno home before his emotions got anymore confused and knotted. He would send Reno home and get Tseng to move in. Either him or Rude. He didn't want Elena… She was too emotional, not to mention she probably didn't like seeing Rufus naked. But, she did cook well…

Rufus spent a majority of his day pondering just that, trying to think of someone to replace Reno. And, the more he thought about it, the more he wanted Reno to stay. He had feelings for the redhead and he couldn't pursue them if Reno was sent away. Of course, emotions interfered with work. So, maybe it would be for the better if Reno went back to his own home…

Before he could actually make a decision, there was a light knock at his door. Figuring it was Tseng, he closed his laptop, which he hadn't been doing anything on anyway, and called, "Come in."

The door opened and Reno stepped in, closing the door behind himself and stepping up to the desk. He didn't seem to sense Rufus's uneasiness. He sat down in the chair on the opposite side of Rufus and cleared his throat awkwardly.

"Yo, Sir, um… I was thinking…"

"Of?" Rufus prodded, wishing he had an excuse to shoo Reno out.

"Tseng said I wasn't s'posed to see you today and… Are ya trying to tell me that ya don't want me going home with you and living with you and all that?"

Rufus's jaw tightened. "Yes, Reno."

Reno seemed to deflate, his eyes widening a bit in surprise. He looked down at his hands, which were playing with the zipper on his jacket. "Yes, Sir…" He sat for a bit, but stood and looked at Rufus with a sudden air of determination. "Sir, I can't."

Rufus blinked. "Pardon?"

"I can't let you make me leave, Sir. I'm a Turk. It's my duty and my job to protect you, even if it's from your own loneliness. I can't just stand back and watch you suffer in that huge house with just that guard hound for company. I know you're too damn proud to think you need it, but you need me there for you. Last night, you would've flooded the entire bathroom and maybe even drowned yourself. It's not just that you can't take care of yourself either. I can tell you're depressed and, no matter how many antidepressants you take, you're still in a shitty mood. I know I can't bring back your legs and I know I can't make the pain go away. I just want to be there for you if you ever need anything. Sir, let me do my job."

Rufus just stared at him, astounded by such an honest confession. It took him a bit to recover, shaking his head slowly. "Reno, get back to work," he said lowly.

Reno deflated again. "Y-Yes, Sir..."

Rufus smiled as Reno walked out. "I'll see you after work."

Reno paused, turning back and smiling. "Thank you, Sir."

The blonde man shook his head. "No, Reno. Thank you."


	4. Alcohol

Reno was standing next to Rude, the both of them leaning on a railing of a balcony on the fifth floor. It was their lunch break and, per usual, they had both eaten sandwiches from the nearby deli and were now simply looking out at the city, cigarettes in hand.

"Yo, Partner," Reno said softly, his eyes watching the people below, "you ever been in love before?"

Confused, Rude turned to look at him. "Love?"

Reno took a long drag on his cigarette, blowing out the smoke in a sigh before he answered. "Yeah. Ya know, caring a lot about another person and loving them." He turned to look at his partner, curious. "Have you ever had someone like that?"

Rude focused back on the city. "No."

He frowned, following his gaze. "Why not?"

"Being a relationship in this sort of work is a bad idea."

"Why d'you say that…?"

"Think about it."

Reno glanced over at him, knocking a bit of ash off of the balcony's railing. "I ain't followin', yo."

He sighed. "If you have feelings for someone else and make it known, what if something happened to them? Kidnapping, for example. You know as well as I do that emotions are a bad thing in this line of work."

Reno huffed out a sigh, dramatically mimicking Rude's, and looked back at the city, taking another drag. "So that's why office relationships are prohibited…"

Rude hummed an affirmative and smashed his cigarette against the rail to put it out, flicking it into the trashcan behind them.

He frowned. "Tseng and Elena are a thing, aren't they?"

Rude shook his head.

His eyes narrowed. "O' course they are."

"Maybe, but they can both handle it. If, for example, Tseng got captured tomorrow, I feel that Elena would be indifferent. Both of them are careful with emotion."

Reno frowned. "Laney's not. You saw how torn up she was after what happened to Rufus. She still is."

"She's sympathetic."

He sighed. "Whatever…" He noticed his cigarette had gone out and tossed into the trash, going back in after he noticed their break was nearly over. He put his hands in his pockets when Rude started following him. "The reason I even asked earlier was… Well, I think I'm in love, yo. I'm not sure though."

Rude raised an eyebrow slightly. The expression was hardly noticeable, but Reno had picked up on it. "If you have to ask, maybe you're not really in love."

He frowned and went into the Turks' office, holding the door for him. "I dunno… I care about 'em a lot."

Rude simply shook his head and went over to his desk.

Reno trotted after him, feeling like he needed some sort of advice. "I'll still be stayin' with Rufus, just so you know."

He looked up at Reno in interest. "You talked to him?"

"Yeah."

"What did you say?"

Reno shrugged a bit, leaning on the desk. "Not much. I just told him that it's my job to take care of him and I ain't retiring yet."

Rude gave him a small nod, silently praising him before he went back to work, filling out paperwork. Reno groaned at how boring it was and decided to go to his own desk for a nice little nap.

* * *

><p>Silence. That was what they had to work with. There was the soft sound of chewing and the ear-piercing scraping of forks against plates, but there was silence behind that. Neither of them knew what to say, leaving them to eat the vegetable stir fry that Tseng had made and sent home with them. He and Elena often made dishes to send, knowing that Reno wasn't that good of a cook and Rufus was unable to fend for himself with food. Reno ate faster, putting his plate in the sink and beginning to count out Rufus's pills after he was done.<p>

"I don't want them."

Reno looked over at the blonde, confused. "What?"

Rufus pushed a slice of pepper around his plate, nudging against a potato. "I don't want my medicine. I don't like what it does to me. I don't like feeling so helpless and weak. Besides, it messes with my memory. I've been taking two or three baths a day and keep forgetting if I've eaten or not."

Reno reluctantly began to put the bottles back. "But, Sir, aren't you in pain?" he asked softly, not wanting to force the pills but not letting this go without a fight.

"Just pour me some scotch," he muttered before popping the last bit of his vegetables into his mouth.

The redhead raised an eyebrow. "I don't think that would help, Sir. A hangover would only add to-"

"Just pour me some damn alcohol," he snapped. He was in a bad mood almost all the time now, thanks to his constant discomfort and depression. He knew he shouldn't be taking it out on other people, but he didn't give a damn. He was Rufus Shinra, for fuck's sake. He deserved some respect and obedience. He could do whatever the hell he wanted.

Sighing as he gave in, Reno opened a cupboard and pulled out a bottle of vodka. He kept looking, but that was all he could find. "How's this?"

"Fine."

Reno began pouring it into a shot glass, but Rufus's electric wheelchair moved faster than what he thought. The man grabbed the bottle from him and shot back over to the table, giving an innocent smile before tipping the bottle back. Reno just stared, the cork still in his hand.

"Hey!" he finally shouted, trying to grab it back from him.

Rufus turned and swallowed, holding the alcohol out of reach. "You're stealing from your boss?" he asked after he was finished with shuddering at the strength of the alcohol.

His eyes narrowed. "I'm trying to keep my boss healthy, but he's being a selfish prick and doesn't give a shit if he dies from some reaction with drugs and alcohol."

He gave a roll of his eyes. "I'll be fine, Reno. Go watch TV or something. I'll be fine."

They had a brief stare down, neither one willing to back off. The two of them were at their wits' end, as they had been together twenty-four seven for the past nine days. It was exhausting, as they seemed to have at least one argument a day. These arguments always happened near the end of the day, as Rufus's body was exhausted and burned-out from the day's activities of just sitting in his office. It was surprisingly draining, just tilting that little joystick to direct his wheelchair. And, with every bathroom break or even eating a meal, he just got even more tired.

Rufus's mood was pretty much at rock bottom by now. In the past couple days, the Shinra Company had received so many death threats that security had nearly been tripled. Tseng would occasionally stop by Rufus's home to run a quick check, but the place had a great security system already. Besides, Dark Nation was still on edge. She had reluctantly accepted Reno's addition, but not without staring him down during meals or when he spent prolonged periods of time in Rufus's company. She loved her master and Reno was still seen as a threat, no matter how many times Rufus scolded her for growling.

Reno gave up eventually, letting Rufus do what he wanted. He went into the living room and sat on the couch with a sigh, flipping on the large TV and surfing through channels. He finally settled for another sporting event, thankful for the season starting. Without it, he wasn't sure what he would even do.

He wasn't paying much attention to it, using it simply as background noise as Rufus got himself drunk in the kitchen. He pulled his phone out of his pocket and stared at it for a while, realizing that he hadn't talked to his mother in over a week. That was extremely unusual for him, as he had never even left home for this long before without a text or call. He sighed, feeling guilty, and began to dial her number. He had it memorized so much, he could recite it backwards even when he was drunk. He held the phone to his ear and leaned back in the couch, smiling.

"Hello?"

Clearly, she hadn't looked at her caller ID. But, after answering as quickly as she had, she probably didn't get a chance to look. Usually, she greeted him by cooing at him and gushing over how much she loved him. Hearing her so serious was actually a bit of a surprise.

"Hey Ma," he greeted, his smile obvious in his voice. "Sorry I haven't kept in contact much… How've ya been holding up?"

As soon as she was aware that it was her son, her Overprotective Mother switch flipped. "Reno! Oh, baby! How are you? Are you okay? How's Rufus? You're taking care of him, aren't you? But don't forget to take care of yourself! Oh, honey, I miss you!"

His smile only grew at her tone. There was something he found comforting in it, even though a lot of people laughed at him over how his mother treated him like such a kid, when he was really only a few years from thirty. "Yeah, Ma. I'm doin' good." He frowned a little, his eyes flickering to the kitchen, where he heard Rufus speaking lowly to Dark Nation. He didn't know what he was saying, but he had the feeling Rufus was crying. "I dunno about Rufus though… He's doin' pretty bad." He sighed, rolling his lip between his teeth. "I hate seein' him like this, Ma. It's heartbreaking. I've never seen him so weak and sad…" He was sure to keep his voice low, not wanting Rufus to overhear.

He could practically see her frown. "Oh, honey… Want me to bake him some cookies?"

"No… He never ate the last batch. He doesn't eat much other than dinner and a little lunch. He's gettin' really thin already and it's only been a couple weeks since he got home. I dunno what to do… He's drinking himself silly right now because he doesn't want his pills. I tried to stop him, but… I had to let him."

She sighed softly. "Reno, baby, I'm sure you're doing the best you can. If you want, I can come over there and see what I can do. Maybe he just needs a mama."

He let out a soft laugh. "I don't think that's what he needs… He's said it before and he's acting on it now… He says he just wants to die. He broke down yesterday and told me that over and over…"

"Dear…"

He straightened up a bit. "But he'll be okay, Ma. I know he will. He's strong."

"You're right, honey. And with you there, he'll get better faster! Just keep him happy, okay?"

"Okay, Ma." Reno heard glass shatter in the kitchen and bolted up. "I gotta go, Ma. Love ya." He hung up before she could respond, tossing his phone onto the couch and jogging to the kitchen. He froze at the sight, letting a choice profanity slip through his lips.

Rufus had moved to the middle of the kitchen, Dark Nation previously perched on his lap. The guard hound was now licking Rufus's bleeding hand, which was the results of a shattered bottle. Vodka was spilled all over Rufus's clothes and the floor and he was shaking, staring at his hand in pain as blood snaked down his arm and dripped onto his white pants and the floor. He didn't even know Reno was there, too fixated on what he had done.

"Sir," Reno blurted, stepping forward.

He was careful of the glass and shoved Dark Nation off, ignoring her furious growls at the action. Rufus said nothing, just staring at his hand with tears leaking from his eyes. Being incredibly careful about the glass, he heaved Rufus into his arms and began carrying him upstairs to wash up. He placed the trembling man on the toilet after knocking down the lid, beginning to get the wet clothing off of him. He was able to keep himself from blushing, as he had grown accustomed to undressing and redressing Rufus twice a day. He put the wet clothes to the side and grabbed a towel, placing it across his lap. He opened the cupboard under the sink and grabbed gauze, grabbing a wet washcloth as well. He began to clean the wound, picking out a few bits of glass from time to time.

Rufus was quiet the entire time, swaying slightly. His eyes were swimming in tears of vodka, his entire body feeling awful after his drinking binge. He felt the urge to vomit, but his body was too physically beaten to even try. He flinched as Reno began to tightly wrap his hand, bringing drunken blue eyes to watch his Turk's concentrated face. He felt a certain level of respect, amazed that Reno could care for him despite their many fights and disagreements. Not to mention that Rufus fully knew he was being a stubborn, spoiled, pissed-off brat lately. He was glad that Reno wasn't angry with him. He wasn't sure if he could keep his sanity if he was alone.

His feelings felt like they were choking him, his alcohol only making them stronger. Reno cut the gauze and tied it off, putting the excess away before grabbing some tape to make it a bit more secure. He bit off a piece of the tape, having put down the scissors and not wanting to get them again. He taped it up and smiled when he finished.

"There. Feeling better, Sir?"

Rufus was still staring at him, his lips slightly parted. He lowered his hands to the towel on his lap, just staring as Reno began to wash the red washcloth back to its original white.

Reno's smile turned back into a frown. "You're drunk already, aren't you?" He sighed at Rufus's lack of a response. "You drank more than half of it. I saw. Be glad you're not dead." He finished washing the blood down the sink and hung the cloth up on the towel rack to dry. He washed his own hands after, staring right back at Rufus. "Hey… Are you even okay?"

Rufus reached forward and grabbed Reno's wrist in a surprisingly tight grip with his good hand, his eyes fighting against the drunkenness that would give him one hell of a hangover in the morning.

Reno winced in surprise. "S-Sir…?"

Rufus pulled him closer, looking up at the redhead that now stood in front of him. He let himself smile drunkenly up at him, letting go of Reno's wrist. "I wanna return th' favor," he slurred.

Before Reno could react, there was a thin hand at the back of his neck and he was being pulled down. His hands flew out in a panic, grabbing the wall to keep himself balanced as his eyes widened in shock. He could taste vodka and, half a moment later, he realized that Rufus was kissing him. He groaned and pulled his mouth free, staying in his leaning position.

"Sir…?"

Rufus put his hand over Reno's mouth. "Rufus," he corrected.

Reno looked perplexed. What the hell was going on…?

"I wanna go to bed." He let his hand drop and he slumped against the back of the toilet. "I'm tired."

Reno gave him a nod, picking him up and carrying him to his room, He checked his bandages other than his hand, glad that they didn't appear to need changing until morning. The only wound that even needed to be covered now was his back, and even that was healing up nicely. Rufus was lucky, considering the circumstances.

Rufus was laid down on his bed and Reno moved to get him pajamas, but Rufus grabbed his wrist again. "Lay with me," he commanded, surprisingly strict in his drunken state.

Reno took a moment to think, but realized he didn't have a choice in the matter. He gave a small nod and slipped into the bed next to him after closing the door, knowing Dark Nation would be even more angry if she saw Reno this close to him.

Rufus immediately turned, managing to roll himself over. He wrapped his arm around Reno's waist, hooking his bandaged hand around his hip. He used his other hand to pull Reno's goggles off, frowning a little. "These're so stupid," he muttered before dropping them on the floor. He missed Reno's glare at the insult, closing his eyes and kissing him again.

Reno broke free faster this time, expecting it. "Sir, you're drunk," he said lowly, almost scolding him. "Stop this, or I'm going back to my own room. Okay?"

Rufus pouted, big eyes and all, and Reno glared harsher at him. The face was so cute… Reno hadn't even known Rufus could pull off something like that.

"I mean it."

His pout only grew. It eventually turned into a glare fit to kill and dug his fingers into Reno's hip, making him bite his lip. Little did Rufus know, that was one of Reno's weak spots. He loved his hips being touched, rubbed, or even pinched. It was stupid, but it was true.

"You're arguing against your boss?"

Reno kept his stance on the issue firm. "I'll go back to my room," he threatened again.

"No you won't." His fingers dug in even harder to Reno's hips, having a feeling that Reno had a weakness there.

His grip on his lip failed and a moan ghosted out of his mouth. He immediately shut his mouth tight, feeling himself blush in embarrassment. _Shit._

Smirking, Rufus's fingers began to roughly massage the redhead's hips. He was pleased when Reno blushed to his ears, biting his lip as hard as he could just to keep himself from moaning. He found himself shifting his hips into the touch, his hands clenching slightly on the sheets.

"Stop…"

Rufus laughed. "I'm the only one giving orders here, Sinclair," he growled, kissing him again to silence him for good.

That time, Reno didn't break away.


	5. Breach

"S-Sir," Reno choked, pulling away from vodka-soaked lips. "I…" He sat up, pulling away from Rufus' surprisingly strong grip. He slipped out of the bed, face red, and scurried for the door.

"Stop, Reno."

Reno didn't listen, grabbing the knob and yanking the door open.

"I'll fire you!"

The door slammed and Reno stomped off to his room, ignoring a growling Dark Nation that began to paw at the door. Reno went into the guest room he had been staying in, slammed and locked the door, took his clothes off, and crawled into bed in the nude. He just laid there for a while in the silence that had settled, staring up at the ceiling with his hands in weak fists at his sides. He could feel his arousal between his legs, but he closed his eyes and began to will it away. He mentally started scolding himself, knowing that he shouldn't have given Rufus that alcohol in the first place. His scolding stopped, however, when he heard soft sobs coming from down the hall.

He just kept his eyes closed and went to sleep.

* * *

><p>Reno was up before Rufus in the morning, which was becoming usual. Rufus had been going to bed early and sleeping in even later. Reno had been eating his breakfast, getting ready for work, and even had the time to take Dark Nation for a walk before Rufus even stirred. Reno got dressed after taking a quick shower, trying to forget about what had happened last night as he headed down to the kitchen for breakfast. He grabbed some frozen waffles that he had bought and stuck them in the toaster, feeding Dark Nation in the time that it took for the waffles to pop up again.<p>

He grabbed a plate and drowned his waffles in syrup, carrying the plate to the living room to eat. He turned on the morning news and began to eat, just barely paying attention to the news anchor.

He didn't know what to do about what had happened last night. He knew Rufus would have one hell of a hangover, not to mention regrets. He didn't know if Rufus would find a way to blame Reno for it, but he was still a little nervous about the whole ordeal. He didn't even know what his feelings towards Rufus were, but he really didn't want to think about that at six fucking o'clock in the morning.

"No one knows where this mysterious disease has come from, but doctors all over the Midgar area are looking for answers. And now for the weather."

Reno blinked, having missed the entire story. He decided to put the disease from his mind and took the weather into consideration, glancing out the window to find out that the report of all-day thunderstorms was already coming true. He frowned at Dark Nation as she trotted in, giving her ears a rub as she reluctantly sat next to him on the couch.

"Sorry, girl, but the weather ain't gonna let us go for our walk today."

She whimpered a little and laid down in defeat, resting her large head on Reno's lap. He pet the base of her antenna… thing, idly wondering what the proper term for it was. He kept eating his waffles with his fingers, getting them all sticky with syrup. But the mess wasn't much of worry, as Dark Nation began to lick his fingers clean.

"Damn, you're friendly this morning," Reno muttered, a little suspicious of the hound. "You must be pretty upset about the rain, huh? Or is it because you couldn't sleep with Rufus last night and you're all starved for attention?" He chuckled as Dark Nation gave him a curious look. "I'm crazy, I know. I'm talkin' to a damn mutt."

She growled a bit, as if she was offended.

"You must understand me, huh?"

And with that, she jumped off the couch and trotted upstairs.

Reno sighed and turned off the TV, carrying his plate to the kitchen to clean up a bit, washing his hands of guard hound drool. The power flickered briefly from the storm and he couldn't help but laugh at the irony. The power going out at Shinra's own house.

He made his way upstairs, knowing it was a bit early for Rufus to be woken up, but not caring. There was nothing else for him to do, other than sit in his own worry. He knocked lightly on the door before he walked in, surprised to see that Rufus was already awake, sitting up in bed with his head in his hands.

"Hangover?" Reno guessed, walking over to his closet to get Rufus' clothes.

He groaned, "Worse."

Reno raised an eyebrow, laying his clothes out on the bed. "Worse?"

He held up his hand, which was still wrapped tight in bandages. "My hand hurts like h-hell." He winced, lowering himself back into a slouching position. "It hurts…"

Reno took the hand, glad that Rufus didn't seem to remember what happened last night. He unwrapped the bandages, face perfectly serious as he revealed the skin. He tossed the bandage aside to examine it, but he froze.

The cut from last night was healing very well, but that wasn't what made Reno stop. The skin on the back of his hand was covered in gray, purple, and blue blotches, as if it was bruising. The marks went up to his wrist, nearly to his elbow. As he touched it warily, Rufus' breath hitched and he jerked his hand back.

"Don't touch it!"

Reno was still stunned. "Sir… It looks like bruising."

"It's not fucking bruising. If it was, it wouldn't hurt this damn bad!" he shouted, clearly pissed off at the combination of his hangover, the marks, and the lack of sleep. "Give me my clothes."

The topic dropped and Reno silently dressed him after fixing the bandages on his back, helping him into his wheelchair after it had all been done. Rufus denied a bath, feeling too in pain and tired to take one. He passed on breakfast too, and the two of them had an hour to spare before work. Reno sat down in front of the news again and Rufus had used the newly installed chair lift to get up to his room after he took double the dose of pain pills he needed. Dark Nation followed him up, and Reno eventually gave up on the TV as the signal kept dropping in the shitty weather.

After an uncomfortable silence in the house, it was time to leave. Rude came to pick up Rufus, per usual, and Reno hitched a ride with them. He sat in the back, staring out the window and watching the storm. It was awful outside, the rain going sideways. The car kept blowing around, and the sky was lit up with constant lightning. The radio in the car was nothing but static, and Rude eventually shut it off out of annoyance. It looked like a damn hurricane was hitting, not that any of them knew what a hurricane was like.

"What's up with the weather?" Reno eventually muttered, breaking the awkward silence.

Rude didn't answer, too focused on keeping the car steady as he drove through flooded streets with windshield wipers going as fast as possible. Rufus didn't answer either, busy examining his hand, which he had wrapped up in bandages. He kept rubbing it, wondering why it felt so cold.

Reno sighed, slouching down in his seat in the thick silence.

The car suddenly jerked as Rude stomped on the brakes, causing an unbuckled Reno to hit the back of his seat and the seatbelt to dig into Rufus and Rude's shoulders. The car came to a shuddering halt, kids running out in front of them.

"Fucking kids! Rude, you could've hit 'em!" Reno shouted, peeling himself off of the seat. "Shit, yo!"

The car eventually moved once the children had gone, only going another block until it stopped at the office. Tseng was there to greet them, struggling to hold an umbrella in the wind. He held extras, handing one to Rude as Reno just sprinted for the doors, holding them open as the rain beat him down. When they all got inside, they looked like they had all just crawled out of a lake. Elena gave them towels and went to the Turks' office to get fresh clothes. Rufus just wheeled into his office in his damp suit, not saying a word.

"How's he been?" Elena asked softly, standing on the other side of the cubicle wall as Reno got dressed.

He sighed, fastening his belt before grabbing up a clean and dry white shirt. "Shitty."

"Really?" she murmured, her voice weak.

"Yeah. Last night, he didn't wanna take his pills. Drank half a bottle of vodka instead."

She turned, watching his head over the wall. "What? You let him do that?" she hissed, glaring.

He sighed, tugging his wet goggles off an drying them on his shirt before he buttoned it up. "Look, it was that or he would just get more depressed!" he snapped defensively, pushing back his wet hair and putting on his goggles again.

"Yeah, well alcohol won't help that!"

"I'm just trying to be nice to the guy," he growled, leaving the top four buttons undone as he grabbed up the black blazer. "He's more than just in pain. He's doing… really shitty. I just…" He looked down at his bare feet, away from Elena. "I don't know what else to do."

A quiet settled over them and Elena sat down in her chair, looking at the pens arranged on her desk. She sighed softly, looking up at Reno's head after a bit. "Tseng told me about his hand," she said softly.

Reno looked up again. "The markings?"

"Yes. The bandages came off in the rain and he had to wrap him up again. Is it internal bleeding?"

"Nah… Not that." He kept his wet shoes off, joining Elena in her cubicle and sitting on the desk. He clasped his hands on his lap and looked down at them, frowning. "I dunno what it is… He said it hurt really bad. On the ride here, he kept massaging it. But when I touched it, he said it hurt…"

"We should get a doctor to look at him. He's due for a follow-up."

"Y'know he's too damn stubborn for that," Reno muttered, looking over at her. "Besides, we won't be going anywhere in this damn weather. We should've just stayed home."

"I know, but he needs it." She shrugged, placing a hand next to Reno's thigh on the desk. "We have to be here… We have to rebuild Shinra."

"Yeah? Too late for that, Laney. Shinra's as good as dead. Rufus… I hate to say it, but I really don't think Rufus is gonna last much longer. He's in too bad of shape to keep this company on its feet." He slid off the desk, grabbing the towel from the floor and wringing out his hair again. "We're done for. I want this place to survive as much as you do, but I don't see it getting better."

"Reno…"

"You know it's true." He slung the towel over his shoulder, giving her a weak smile. "We'll be alright, Laney. It's just gonna be hard."

She nodded, but the both of them looked up as the lights flickered.

"Seriously, yo… What's with the weather?"

Elena shook her head. "No idea. I heard on the radio that the storm came out of nowhere. They're expecting it to last all day, but they can't really predict it. Sounds like the weather's this freaky all over the world."

"All of Gaia?"

She nodded.

"Damn…" He looked up at the flickering lights one more time before he gave an indifferent shrug and walked away, planning on getting some shuteye.

* * *

><p>By the time the work day was over, the weather was still disastrous. If anything, it had gotten worse. The power continued to flicker now and again, but never went out. Staff decided to stay, wanting to wait out the storm. Rufus was still in his office, but no one had talked to him all day. That is, until he called Tseng into his office at seven.<p>

When the director came in, Rufus was slouched in his chair and trying to open a pill bottle one handed. Wordlessly, Tseng approached and took the bottle from him, opening it and handing him one of the large pain pills.

"Is it your back, Sir?"

Rufus weakly shook his head, downing the rest of his coffee with the pill. "Hand."

Tseng's somber expression never changed. "May I see your hand?"

Rufus nodded, but didn't move it. "I can't lift it for the pain… It's going all the way up my arm by now."

He nodded, approaching him and carefully lifting his arm, remaining indifferent to his gasp of pain. He unwrapped his hand and carefully rolled up his sleeve, staring at the gray-blue markings. "Sir…"

"Tell me what the hell it is," he demanded, his tone rather tired.

"I… I'm not sure what it is, Sir." A crease appeared on his forehead as he frowned, ghosting his fingers over the markings.

His arm dropped back to his chair and he looked away. "Then get me more pain pills. I want to sleep."

"Yes, Sir."

* * *

><p>Reno was lying on the couch in the break room, half asleep as Elena and Tseng tried to make microwave meals into an actual dinner. Rude sat on the couch by Reno's feet, trying to text but getting the signal denied every time. The phone towers were out and had been out since noon, and the internet had been soon to follow. Reno had left his phone at Rufus' house, so had tried using Rude's to get a hold of his mom. He was worried about her, but it wasn't like he could do anything. So he just laid there, trying to distract himself with counting the flecks of gray on the white ceiling. It wasn't working.<p>

He was worried about his mom, most of all, but he was also still a bit nervous over what had happened last night. He had barely even talked to Rufus today and he hadn't seen him since morning. He figured that Rufus either hadn't remembered yet, or it was another one of those things that he just didn't want to talk about. He was alright with letting it drop though, pretending like it didn't happen. It was embarrassing to him, having shown that vulnerable side of himself to his boss. He wasn't going to tell a soul – not even Rude. Not even his mother. This was his issue to deal with it. His and Rufus'.

"How did the love issue work out?"

Reno groaned, sitting up to look at his partner. He opened his mouth to answer, but Elena had turned around and was glaring at them.

"You've got a girlfriend, Reno? You realize that's an awful idea, right? Affections can get in the way of work and-"

"I know," Reno snapped, returning her glare in tenfold. "I'm single. You can take your own advice for once. Everyone knows what's going on between you and Tseng."

Elena closed her mouth, blushing up to her hair. Tseng didn't even turn around, completely focused on the microwave's timer.

"Knew it," he teased, sticking out his tongue before snatching his phone from Rude and beginning to hold it in all directions, trying to get a shred of signal.

"Towers are knocked out," his partner sighed before pulling himself to his feet, changing the topic to save Elena from her embarrassment. "We'll be stranded here for a while. This storm could last days."

"Don't say that," Reno whined, pouting. "I don't like work that much. I'd rather be-"

The power finally gave, the microwave making a rather unpleasant buzz as it powered off. The four of them fell silent and froze in their positions, the only light now coming from Reno's phone. They remained like that for several minutes, holding their breath in wait for the lights to come back on. They were left in the darkness, Reno being the first to break the silence.

"Well, shit."

Tseng sighed and pulled the half-cooked food from the microwave, tossing it with blind accuracy into the trash. "We should get back to the office. The president is in the dark by himself."

"He's not scared of the dark," Reno muttered, but he unfolded himself from the couch and led the way regardless, using his phone as a flashlight.

The Turks made their way silently and slowly, finding the building much more confusing when the power was out. The elevator was obviously out of use, no matter how many times Reno had stabbed the little silver button, so they were forced to take the stairs. Halfway up, the power came back on. With the electricity came a flashing light and a loud, automated voice over the previously unused PA system.

"_Emergency security breach, level one hundred. Intruder alert. Security measure required. Emergency security breach, level one hundred."_


	6. Mother

He had to get inside. _She_ was in there. She had to be.

He threw his weight into the lever, jumping away as sparks erupted from the switchboard. The building had power again, and he was glad for that. He couldn't get in without it, right? Yes, alarms could go off, but he didn't care. He just needed to get in. He ran across the flooded roof, wind whipping his short, soaked, silver hair around his head as he stumbled to the door. He grabbed the handle and snarled when it refused to yield. He took a step back and drew his sword, taking aim before slamming it into the knob over and over again until it fell clean off. He sheathed his weapon and stuck gloved fingers in the hole he had revealed, prodding around and unlocking it from the outside. Sure, there was an easier way to get in, but he wanted to have fun with this.

He kicked the door inwards once it was unlocked, running inside. His boots were slick with the rain, but he kept his balance with the perfection of something feline. He sprinted down concrete stairs and threw a door open at the bottom, coming to a three-way hallway. He chose the middle at random and began to run again, hoping he was going the right way. The siren of the security system was obnoxious to the highest degree. The wailing automated voice was reduced to a buzz in his ears and the flashing red and white lights just made his catlike pupils dilate into small slivers of black in blue-green pools.

He began to slow his running, opening every door he came to. Most were empty, few had a single bit of furniture, and even fewer were fully decorated. The last door he threw open led to a cement stairway, and he chose it as his path.

He didn't get very far down before he heard people coming up. He didn't stop running down. In fact, the only thing he did in preparation was draw Souba once again, wielding the double-bladed weapon in a relaxed stance.

It wasn't long before he and his enemies came within sight of each other. A sick grin spread on the man's face as he took in the other four's weapons. A woman and two men with guns, and the leading man with what looked like a silly white stick.

Could this get any easier?

Before they collided, the sounds of guns firing managed to barely drown out the automated alarm system. Every bullet missed, however, but they never stopped firing. They weren't close enough yet to see that the bullets were going straight through their target in a wisp of black smoke.

The silver haired man set his focus on the only one without a gun, seeing the man with goggles as the only threat he had to worry about. He picked up speed and jumped, skipping over half of the flight of stairs and planting his feet just inches away from the Turks.

Reno skidded to a halt, eyes wide, and swung his EMR in a wide arc. The man simply ducked, grabbing his wrist after the swing was completed and using his sword to deliver a quick slice across his stomach. Reno groaned and more gunshots went off, but the Turk was simply pushed away with a leather-clothed hand and fell against the wall.

Rude was next. He discarded his gun, letting an EMR of his own drop from his sleeve. He flipped the switch and the rod buzzed alive with electricity as he swung even stronger than Reno had, expecting the man to duck, but getting something else. He jumped back and again to the side, landing on the railing. He jumped down to the next flight and continued running, causing the Turks to curse in anger and keep up the chase.

Reno ran surprisingly strong, given that his abdomen was quickly getting soaked in his own blood. Elena fell behind to give him a bit of support, the four of them still keeping close to the intruder.

Their mistake was not looking behind them.

A foreign gunshot rang through the cement stairwell, echoing loudly as Elena cried out in pain at the bullet that had gone through her arm. She turned around and pushed Reno to continue running, grabbing her gun and aiming it at the newcomer.

He looked just like the other intruder, although his hair was longer and he had a certain inhuman beauty and elegance to the way he held himself. He made his way down the stairs in a brisk walk, a long gun raised with a straight arm as his finger squeezed the trigger again.

Elena dropped to the ground and fired until she ran out of ammo, not landing a hit. Finally, she caught on. Scrambling to her feet and sprinting, she shouted, "They're immune to bullets!"

"Shit!"

That may have been the first time Reno had ever heard Tseng sound so hopeless and angry.

The running continued, and it was soon apparent that this chase wasn't going to end well. Tseng and Elena ducked out at the floor Rufus was at to protect him, leaving two Turks against the two intruders.

The one with shorter hair sensed his brother's presence and suddenly spun around, running back up to the other two, giggling madly. Reno panicked and put one arm over his stomach, using the other to switch on his EMR to counter. Rude turned to see the other coming at him, gun discarded in favor of fighting with well-toned legs hidden beneath a leather cloak.

"Where's Mother?"

* * *

><p>"Will one of you please tell me what's going on?" Rufus snapped, watching as Tseng shut off the alarm and Elena began going through drawers of weapons in the Turk office, her wounded arm in a tight bandage.<p>

"We don't know, Sir," Tseng said quickly, grabbing a mag rod that Elena offered, also taking a knife.

"You're telling me that someone broke in and you have no idea how, why, or who they are?"

"Correct," Tseng said quickly, stashing the knife on his belt and helping Elena lock up the weapon drawers. "Reno and Rude are handling them."

"Them?" Rufus asked slowly, feeling something roar in his chest. "You're saying there's more than one?"

Tseng gave a slight nod, but his response was cut off as the door opened and Reno and Rude came through, Reno nursing a broken wrist and a very bloody wound on his stomach. Rude had a split lip, but seemed to be in considerably better shape than Reno.

"They're gone," he clipped, not paying any mind as Reno began looking for the first aid kit.

"Where did they go?" Elena asked, her voice rushed. "We need to go after them."

"Dunno," Reno muttered, unbuttoning his uniform to get a look at the sword wound that spanned across his stomach. He began to clean it up, pressing and wrapping gauze bandages onto it. "Once we said their Ma wasn't here, they kinda… vanished. Didn't run away. They just disappeared, yo."

Three sets of eyes went straight to Rude, silently asking for validity of Reno's story. The man gave a nod, readjusting his sunglasses. The eyes went back to Reno, who was finishing up his wrapping. He just shrugged, popping his nose into place with a hiss of pain before he began dabbing at the blood.

"We have to relocate."

The words were ones of absolute truth, and not a soul spoke up to argue as soon as they left Rufus Shinra's tired lips. Eyes found no similar target, as they were all looking between each other now. The storm was still going, but it had calmed down enough for them to begin getting ready to leave.

"And where are we going go?" Elena murmured, frowning slightly at him. "The Shinra Corporation-"

"Follows me wherever I am," Rufus finished bitterly. He sighed, running tired fingers through his hair. "There's a lodge in Healin," he began, his voice dropping an octave. "We'll go there. It's out of the city. We can stay low for a while, until we get enough strength to get back on our feet."

Somber nods were the only reaction, but his next words were what got the stares.

"We'll all have to move there. Away from our homes."

"But, Sir!" Reno interjected, scrambling for a defense. He looked helplessly to Rude, who gave him a miniscule shake of the head. His eyes settled on Elena with a bit of relief as she spoke her own two cents.

"Sir, you can't leave your home. All of your medication is there, and all of the renovations! And Dark Nation!"

"Pill bottles and guard hounds can be moved," he deadpanned, taking the blanket off of his lap and pulling it over his head as they began to move for the door, his thin fingers tilting the stick on his chair. "It's for safety."

With that, the conversation was closed.

They made their way out to their cars, umbrellas brandished as if they were going to war. Reno rode with Rude and Rufus again, buckling up in his spot in the back this time. He had a bag of their wet clothes on his lap, resorting to staring out the window as silence bloomed in the car. The rain was still heavy, but it wasn't going sideways anymore. That was a good sign.

After Rufus and Reno had settled inside and Rude had left, Reno made a beeline for the kitchen to get Rufus' medication and some for his own injuries. Rufus just stayed in his chair in the entryway, slowly unwrapping his hand and staring at it. The wet blanket was still over him like a cloak, but he didn't make any movement to take it off. He just sat there, staring at the markings that had grown since this morning. His arm was covered past his sleeve, the pain like flames that licked up to his neck. He wanted to see how bad the damage was, but he didn't want to know. Maybe it would be gone tomorrow. Maybe it was effects of the blood-thinning medication he was on, making him bruise like an over-sensitive peach. He didn't understand why it hurt so much, these bruises, but he wasn't going to ask. He wouldn't mention it at all. After all, that was how Rufus Shinra dealt with everything.

Not mentioning it.

He would never confess to the immense relief he felt when Reno had found him after the explosion. He wouldn't come to terms with the way his heart seemed to choke him every day when Reno helped him undress for his bath, only to redress again. He wouldn't talk about the sick pride he had in the way his drunken self had nearly succeeded in seducing Reno. And he would never even dream of admitting to the urge he had to get him in bed again.

The thought of him being sexually interested in one of his Turks honestly made him a little sick to his stomach, especially considering that Reno was a male and Rufus had gone through his life believing that he was perfectly straight. Maybe he was just confused. After all, he did hold quite the soft spot for redheaded women and Reno had… well, not much of a feminine figure, but he did have nice hips.

Rufus' fingers began to rub the bridge of his nose and he groaned. How the _hell_ was he attracted to a class idiot like Reno? To a _man_ who grew up in the slums and found fun in getting shitfaced at bars and playing darts?

"Is something wrong?" Reno called from the kitchen, washing the blood from his nose in the sink.

"Everything," Rufus muttered, far too quietly for Reno to hear.


End file.
